Coutinho a doubt for Copa del Rey after injury

Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho is expected to miss about 10 days with a left thigh injury, the club have announced, putting his partcipation in the Copa del Rey final in doubt.

The Brazil international attacking midfielder was substituted in the 69th minute of their La Liga clash with Getafe on Sunday, and the club took to Twitter to announce the injury soon after the final whistle.

The Catalan giants have already won the Primera Division but face Valencia in the cup final on May 25, when they will look to clinch a record ninth Spanish domestic double.

It’s yet another injury for concern for Barcelona ahead of the showdown with Los Ches.

Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez is also a doubt after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on the meniscus of his knee while Ousmane Dembele, who Coutinho has battled for playing time this season, is also sidelined with a hamstring injury.

“Tests on [Philippe Coutinho] have revealed that the player has pulled the biceps femoris in his left thigh. He is expected to be out for about ten days,” the club tweeted.

Coutinho has had a tough start at Camp Nou, having quit Liverpool for Spain last January in a fee reportedly worth an initial £105m ($128m).

He made 152 appearances in the Premier League for the Reds, tallying 41 goals and 37 assists. He has managed 68 games for the Blaugrana in La Liga scoring 18 times and adding eight assists.

Despite those respectable numbers the 26-year-old has suffered the ire of sections of the Barcelona crowd.

Before he went off with the injury Coutinho had been whistled by some fans.

They were angered by their teams limp exit at the hands of his former employers in the Champions League semi-final last week.

Coutinho was also substituted in that match and replaced by the more defensively minded Nelson Semedo, but neither player could stop the Reds pulling off a historic comeback, with a 4-0 win on Merseyside overturning Barca’s 3-0 win in Catalonia.

Coutinho had scored a goal in the quarter-final against Manchester United and celebrated by cupping his ears towards the crowd, in a gesture of apparent defiance.

Neither the goal nor the celebration won over the fans, whose booing of the player prompted questioning of head coach Ernesto Valverde.

“They have whistled him,” Valverde said, “but they have also applauded him. The best thing to do is help the players.”